Should I stay or should I go now
by Landon Richardson
Summary: Danni Williams has come to a crossroad in her life, especially her working life at 50. Now there's only one question which she has to answer… Should she stay or should she go? (Steve x female Danni (OC))
1. Prologue

Should I stay or should I go now

By

Landon Richardson

Official Disclaimer

 **The characters of Steve McGarrett, Danny Williams, Chin Ho Kelly, Kono Kalakaua and Adam 'Toast' Charles do not belong to me in any shape or form. I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes.**

 **The characters of Danielle 'Danni' Williams, although originally based on male Danny Williams could possibly be considered her own character as by this time all they seem to share with each other is their name and the fact they have a daughter named Grace. I should add that Grace is called Grace Taylor is in this saga, that's due to the fact that Williams is Danni's maiden name which she reverted back to when she and Duncan divorced. Taylor was her married name.**

 **The character of Jack O'Connor, Riley King and David Williams belong to me. Any other character who might pop up who you don't instantly recognise will probably belong to me as well. I'll hopefully catch them in time to put above though.**

Author Note

 **This story just wouldn't leave me alone so I needed to get it out of my system.**

 **Either I will update it almost daily or pick at it, I'm not sure yet. I am hoping to have a writing day today so if it happens then please look forward to plenty of updates today. I do have company so it will depend on whether I need to entertain lol!**

 **This story came from a random thought this morning of what would happen if Danni left the 50 team.**

 **I'm thinking of writing two different version, one where Danni goes and one where she stays but we'll have to see. My mind is so full of McDanni and saga stories that it doesn't seem to realise that I would actually like to work on other stories as well.**

 **This is short this one as it's a prologue, the other chapters will be longer.**

Official Summary

 **Danni Williams has come to a crossroad in her life, especially her working life at 50. Now there's only one question which she has to answer… Should she stay or should she go? (McDanni, female Danny, part of the Danni universe)**

Chapter Summary

 **Danni Williams stood quietly off to one side, staring at the rest of the 50 taskforce and wondered whether she could carry on doing this.**

Official Romances for the story

 **Steve McGarrett / Danielle 'Danni' Richardson (McDanni)**

 **Kono Kalakaua / Charlie Fong (KoFo)**

 **Riley King / Rosie Lange (Rilsie)**

Romances mentioned during the chapter

 **None**

Other note

 **Please keep in mind that I don't have a Beta for this story so the odd mistake may creep in without me meaning it to. I have also never been to Hawaii so all locations are either from the show, google or made up in my own mind.**

* * *

Prologue

* * *

Danni Williams stood quietly off to one side, staring at the rest of the 50 taskforce and wondered whether she could carry on doing this.

She was tired, worn out from having her advice and opinion continuingly ignored as though she was a Rookie who didn't know what she was talking about. It wasn't the teams fault exactly, it was hers as well. She should have tried harder to make their leader Steve McGarrett listen to what she had to say but she had gotten to the stage where she was too tired to try and that was dangerous.

Her eyes landed on Steve, watching as he flung an arm around the shoulder of Riley King as he grinned at Chin Ho Kelly, Kono Kalakaua and Jack O'Connor. They all looked relieved and pleased by the results of the raid they had just concluded but Danni only felt sadness. Somehow watching them together cemented it in her mind.

She couldn't do this anymore, not when she had a young daughter to think of.

Nodding to herself, Danni turned and quietly walked away, smiling faintly at the uniformed officers and CSU agents who were swarming around the scene. Something in her face must have alerted them that something wasn't right as none of them tried to stop her or talk to her like they normally would have. Something she was glad about.

She came to a stop next to her car, taking a moment to strip of her tactical vest before she unlocked the car and climbed into the driver's seat. Thankful that it was one of the rare times that she had driven rather than Steve. Placing the key in the ignition, she threw the tactical vest onto the back street and started the car, reversing out of the spot which she had haphazardly parked into and drove away.

Danni drove for fifteen minutes, coming to a stop outside the building where the Governor of Hawaii worked out of and stared up at it, her hands gripping the steering wheel as she considered her options.

Could she do this?

Just head into his office and hand in her resignation?

Surely she should talk to the others first? Warn them about what she was doing though she knew if she did that then they would probably talk her out of it.

She groaned out loud, tilting her head back against the seat, her eyes squeezed closed.

Just what the hell should she do?

* * *

Author Note

 **Thanks for taking the time to read. An especially big thank you if you have left me a review, favourite the story or decided to follow it.**

 **I really appreciate it**


	2. Chapter One

Should I stay or should I go now

By

Landon Richardson

Official Disclaimer

 **The characters of Steve McGarrett, Danny Williams, Chin Ho Kelly, Kono Kalakaua and Adam 'Toast' Charles do not belong to me in any shape or form. I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes.**

 **The characters of Danielle 'Danni' Williams, although originally based on male Danny Williams could possibly be considered her own character as by this time all they seem to share with each other is their name and the fact they have a daughter named Grace. I should add that Grace is called Grace Taylor is in this saga, that's due to the fact that Williams is Danni's maiden name which she reverted back to when she and Duncan divorced. Taylor was her married name.**

 **The character of Jack O'Connor, Riley King and David Williams belong to me. Any other character who might pop up who you don't instantly recognise will probably belong to me as well. I'll hopefully catch them in time to put above though.**

Author Note

 **Here's the next chapter for you all!**

 **I'm really enjoying writing this one. I think the idea of taking a small amount of stories and working on them is really working for me. That's not to say that I won't be updating my other stories because I certainly will. Ideas are always bubbling away at me!**

 **Nothing more to say really other than enjoy this chapter**

Official Summary

 **Danni Williams has come to a crossroad in her life, especially her working life at 50. Now there's only one question which she has to answer… Should she stay or should she go? (McDanni, female Danny, part of the Danni universe)**

Chapter Summary

 **Danni started, her eyes flying open when she heard a soft tapping at the driver's side window beside her, she tilted her head towards the sound, her eyes widened as she found herself confronted with Governor Jameson.**

Official Romances for the story

 **Steve McGarrett / Danielle 'Danni' Richardson (McDanni)**

 **Kono Kalakaua / Charlie Fong**

 **Riley King / Rosie Lange**

Romances mentioned during the chapter

 **None**

Other note

 **Please keep in mind that I don't have a Beta for this story so the odd mistake may creep in without me meaning it to. I have also never been to Hawaii so all locations are either from the show, google or made up in my own mind.**

* * *

Chapter One

* * *

Danni started, her eyes flying open when she heard a soft tapping at the driver's side window beside her, she tilted her head towards the sound, her eyes widened as she found herself confronted with Governor Jameson.

Danni hastily wound the window down, her hand coming up to flatten her hair, wondering whether she had fallen asleep though a quick glance at the clock in her dashboard indicated that she had barely had them closed for a moment.

"Good afternoon Detective Williams, is there a reason why you're parked outside my building without one of your… shadows with you?" Jameson remarked, her mouth curling into a smile indicating that she was teasing Danni.

"Governor Jameson I…" Danni began to say, stopping when she realised that for the first time she didn't know what to say. Something must have shown on her face because the Governor's smiled faded away, a concerned look coming to her blue eyes as she scanned Danni's face.

"This actually works out well, I was hoping to catch you alone at some point. Do you have a short time to talk now or is there somewhere you need to be?" She asked Danni, tilting her head to one side. Danni thought back to the pile of files and paperwork on her desk and the empty house she would go back to since her daughter Grace would be with her father for the evening and slowly shook her head.

"Now would actually be a good time" Danni admitted, reaching down and unbuckling her seatbelt, she grabbed her bag from the passenger seat and waited for the Governor to step back before she pushed her door open and stepped out.

"Give me one moment and then we'll head in" Jameson said to her with a smile before she stepped towards her assistant Brandon who was standing near her, working away on the blackberry in his hand. Danni breathed out slowly, reaching into her bag and rummaging through it for a moment before her fingertip grazed the cell phone. She pulled it out, her eyebrow rising when she saw that she had two miss calls, one from Chin and one from Jack. "Ready Detective?" Danni glanced up and nodded.

"Ready" She agreed dropping the cell back into her bag making a mental note to call the other two back once she had finished with the Governor. She nodded at Brandon and the two bodyguards who went everywhere with the Governor before she fell into steps beside the older woman.

"How are things Detective? How is your daughter Grace? The Commander tells me that she just celebrated her 8th birthday?" Governor Jameson stated, the comment causing Danni to smile slightly, she could definitely see how the woman beside her won the public vote. Everything from her tone of voice, to her body language to her words indicated that she cared about the response.

"Grace is fine thank you Governor Jameson, I didn't realise that Steve had mentioned her to you." Danni remarked stepping into the elevator when the door opened.

"The Commander talks about you and Grace regularly during our weekly meetings Detective, more than I'm sure he's even aware of." Governor Jameson remarked sounding amused. Danni made a sound at the back of her throat, staring straight ahead and cursing silently in her mind when she felt her cheeks heat up indicating that she was blushing. It had always been a curse that she blushed so easily. The Governor laughed softly. "I'm guessing that you didn't know that" She said lightly. "It's pretty clear that the Commander is extremely… fond of you Detective."

"Danielle" Danni found herself correcting the Governor. "Most people call me Danielle rather than Detective Williams."

"You mean most people call you Danni but for those of us who you don't quite know or trust yet you ask them to call you Danielle." The Governor remarked shrewdly, shrugging when Danni remained silent. "Danielle is fine with me, maybe one day you'll allow me to call you Danni, anyway my office is this way."

Danni followed the older woman out of the elevator, looking around her carefully taking everything in. The corridor was long with offices leading off from it, some empty, some with people in them working away at whatever it was which they did. The Governor headed to the two large wooden doors at the end of the corridor, pushing one open and ushering Danni in.

Danni waited while the Governor gave instructions to Brandon, her eyes moving around the large, tidy room, frowning slightly when she saw that it was devoid of any personal touches other than a single photo frame on the desk which was pointed towards the main seat. Danni glanced towards the Governor, frowning slightly though she remained quiet.

"Take a seat Danielle" The Governor offered as she moved round the large desk. "Can I get you anything to drink? Some coffee or maybe a water?"

"I'm fine thank you" Danni replied politely as she took the seat which the Governor had indicated, placing her bag beside her before she straightened, resting her hands in her lap unsurprised to see that the Governor had taken her seat and was currently staring at Danni in a thoughtful manner.

"This is the first time that you and I have really met isn't it." The Governor said leaning back in her seat.

"I believe so" Danni agreed, casting her mind back quickly to the other occasions, occasions where Steve had done the talking for them.

"You know It's nice to meet the one person I know of who can actually control the Commander. I should thank you, I get the feeling that you're the reason why I'm still the Governor of a group of island rather than a group of craters" She remarked, the comment causing Danni to smile before it fell from her face when she thought about why she was there.

"You wanted to speak to me?" Danni said quietly, changing the subject, watching as the older woman nodded, her expression becoming serious. For a moment she remained quiet as though she was choosing her words before she spoke.

"I want to offer you an opportunity Danielle, I'd like you to listen to me before you make a decision." She remarked, waiting until Danni nodded at her before she continued to speak. "As I'm sure you're aware Captain Hookano has been moved from being head of the Detectives to running a joint task force between vice and the DEA."

"So I had heard" Danni said slowly waiting to see where the Governor was going with this.

"A replacement has been picked for him however he can't start for another two months when his own taskforce will be disbanded. That leaves us with two months without a captain of Detectives. As you know appointments like this are done by myself and the head of HPD and we both agree that we want you to run the team in that interim between Hookano leaving and the new Captain arriving. We would of course promote you and you would get all the benefits and pay rise that you deserve from that role. If you return to 50 at the end of this then those benefits and title would remain."

"If?" Danni said with a raised eyebrow, her eyes narrowing slightly when the Governor shrugged at her.

"Things change Danielle, you might find out that you like running the Detectives, if you do a good enough job then the job will be yours full time. Don't you deserve to have a job where you are respected and your opinions and advice are listened to?" The Governor asked her softly, smiling when Danni's eyes snapped up to meet hers. "You look surprised, I have eyes and ears everywhere Danielle. I'm well aware that the Commander rarely listens to you, it's a shame because for all his many talents the Commander isn't exactly what I would call a people's person. That is you and he's been relying on you too much in that aspect. They all have."

"I get the feeling that isn't so much a choice but an order" Danni remarked, frowning slightly when the Governor considered her words before she nodded.

"It's just for two months to begin with Danielle, the taskforce can last for two months without you. Plus you know what they say. Absence makes the heart grow fonder." She stated, her mouth quirking into another smile before she turned serious again "I expect you to report at HPD first thing on Monday morning Danielle. I would prefer you not to speak to your team about this change until I've spoken to the Commander myself later on today. I'm sure the first thing he will do will be to find you once I've told him the news. I know you'll do an amazing job Danielle. I shall see you next Friday at our first meeting. I've had Brandon schedule it for 10 in the morning as I'm aware of your childcare arrangements."

Danni nodded, getting to her feet, confusion washing over her as she took the Governor's outstretched hand and shook it, saying goodbye to her before she turned and left the room, closing the door behind her. She nodded at Brandon and the two guards absently and left the room, heading back out of the building and towards her car. She climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine, driving out of the car park and joining the steady stream of traffic on the main road leading towards her home. One thought going through her head.

What was Steve going to do when he found out?

* * *

Author Note

 **Thanks for taking the time to read. An especially big thank you if you have left me a review, favourite the story or decided to follow it.**

 **I really appreciate it**


	3. Chapter Two

Should I stay or should I go now?

By

Landon Richardson

Official Disclaimer

 **The characters of Steve McGarrett, Danny Williams, Chin Ho Kelly, Kono Kalakaua, Adam 'Toast' Charles, Meka Hanamoa, Amy Hanamoa and Governor Pat Jameson do not belong to me in any shape or form. I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes.**

 **The characters of Danielle 'Danni' Williams, although originally based on male Danny Williams could possibly be considered her own character as by this time all they seem to share with each other is their name and the fact they have a daughter named Grace. I should add that Grace is called Grace Taylor is in this saga, that's due to the fact that Williams is Danni's maiden name which she reverted back to when she and Duncan divorced. Taylor was her married name.**

 **The character of Duncan Taylor, Jack O'Connor, Riley King and David Williams belong to me. Any other character who might pop up who you don't instantly recognise will probably belong to me as well. I'll hopefully catch them in time to put above though.**

Author Note

 **Here's the next chapter for you all.**

 **I should state that this McDanni story will be a lot more angsty then my usual McDanni story as you'll see in this chapter. At this moment Steve and Danni are not in a good place though I'm sure it will improve. Perhaps this two month period will actually do them some good.**

 **It is strange writing them like this but… well…**

 **Anyway please enjoy**

Official Summary

 **Danni Williams has come to a crossroad in her life, especially her working life at 50. Now there's only one question which she has to answer… Should she stay or should she go? (McDanni, female Danny, part of the Danni universe)**

Chapter Summary

 **Danni wasn't sure where she was heading until she found herself pulling to a stop outside of Duncan's large home.**

Official Romances for the story

 **Steve McGarrett / Danielle 'Danni' Richardson (McDanni)**

 **Kono Kalakaua / Charlie Fong**

 **Riley King / Rosie Lange**

Romances mentioned during the chapter

 **None**

Other note

 **Please keep in mind that I don't have a Beta for this story so the odd mistake may creep in without me meaning it to. I have also never been to Hawaii so all locations are either from the show, google or made up in my own mind.**

* * *

Chapter Two

* * *

Danni wasn't sure where she was heading until she found herself pulling to a stop outside of Duncan's large home. Although they were divorced, they had somehow remained civil with each other, perhaps could even be considered friends under certain lights. They were civil enough that she felt safe turning up here knowing that he wouldn't turn her away.

Danni exited the car, making her way to the large metal gate and pressed the buzzer to the side of it, waiting until it clicked followed by a familiar female voice belonging to Duncan's housekeeper.

"Yes? Hello? How can I help you?"

"Hi Nicole, its Danni Williams, is my ex-husband there?" Danni asked.

"Hi Danni, yep Mr Taylor is here, I'll just go and get him for you." The other woman said brightly before she disappeared. Danni waited, her mind still going over the Governor's choice. She felt torn, on one half she hated knowing that she wouldn't be going to the 50 headquarters for the next two months, she would miss the others and miss the conversations they would have and there was still a part of her that was excited by the opportunity.

"Danni? Is everything okay?" Duncan's voice demanded over the comms system, a tone of concern to his voice which made her smile. Divorced or not they both still cared for each other.

"Yeah… no… I… I just wanted to see Grace and have a hug from her." Danni admitted, Duncan was silent for a moment before the sound of the gates slowly opening caught her attention.

"You're always welcome here Danni, drive your car in and park out front." Duncan instructed.

"Thanks Duncan" Danni responded, letting go of the button and heading back to her car, she climbed back in and started the engine, waiting for the gate to fully open before she drove in and up the gravelled driveway, parking where Duncan had instructed. She climbed out the car, a smile coming to her face when the front door flew open and Grace came running out, her face alight with happiness.

"Mamma!" She yelled, throwing her arms round Danni and hugging her tightly, "What are you doing here? Are you staying for dinner? I'm so, so glad you're here" she said, the rush of questions making Danni laugh as she leaned down and wrapped her arms around the small girl, returning her hug as she buried her nose into her daughter's silky dark hair, breathing in the familiar strawberry scent which flavoured the shampoo that Grace insisted she bought.

"Hello baby" Danni responded as she leaned back looking into Grace's face. "I've had a bit of a bad day so I thought I'd come here and have a Gracie hug"

Grace nodded, a serious look coming to her face as she scanned Danni's face before she gripped Danni's hand and pulled her into the house, closing the door closed behind her. Danni glanced up as Duncan approached her, a smile on his face as he held out a mug to her.

"Coffee" He stated catching sight of her questioning look. "Figured that you might need some."

"You have no idea" Danni responded, taking the coffee from him and taking a long sip from it.

"Are you staying for dinner with us mamma?" Grace asked her, tilting her face up so she could see Danni. Danni shook her head, feeling guilty when Grace's face dropped.

"You can stay if you want Danni, we have more than enough to feed another person." Duncan offered, his dark brown eyes looking at her thoughtfully.

"No" Danni said with a shake of her head. "I appreciate the offer but I already have plans for tonight which I can't get out of." She explained, her eyes flickering between the two of them.

"Who with Mamma? Are you going out with Uncle Steve tonight?" Grace asked her, the innocent remark causing her heart to twist. Somehow she doubted Steve would want to see her once the Governor broke the news to Steve.

"No baby, I'm having dinner with Auntie Amy and Uncle Meka, Auntie Amy is cooking and you know how she feels about anyone being late to something which she's organised" Danni told Grace, winking at the small girl before she drained her mug. "Speaking of which I need to go, Gracie I'll see you on Monday have a good weekend with your Dad. Duncan call me if you need anything" She said, shooting him a smile as she leaned down again and gave Grace another hug, kissing her on the cheek before she left the house getting back into her car and drove out of the gates, taking a left which would bring her to Amy and Meka's home.

She drove for about twenty minutes before she pulled into the correct road, her breathe catching in her throat when she saw a familiar blue Silverado parked outside the Hanamoa's house. She pulled the car to a stop in her usual parking space, killing the engine and climbed out, her eyes meeting Steve's across the road as he climbed out of his own truck, an unreadable look on his face as he moved towards her.

Danni waited on the pavement, tilting her head back as Steve stopped in front of her.

"Hey" She said softly, breaking the silence between them.

"Hey" He replied his eyes narrowing as he began to speak. "I just spoke to the Governor who told me her plans for you. Apparently I'm now looking at the new Captain of Detectives for HPD. I suppose this is the point where I'm meant to congratulate you on your promotion right?" He demanded, a bitter tone to his voice which caused her to wince, her hand curling up so she could dig her fingernails into her palm, using the sharp pain to focus her thoughts.

"I never asked for this Steve" She said, keeping her voice calm and steady.

"And yet here we are. My partner, the one person I trust, is suddenly gone from my team without a word, instead I get told by the Governor who looked positively gleeful that you were gone from me for two months and that there was nothing I could do about it because you had agreed to it." Steve stated, stepping forward, his hand curling round her upper arm, jerking her forward so there was little to no space between them,

"I didn't so much agree to it Steve as get told I was doing it" Danni retorted. "Look I get that you're unhappy about this and I understand that. I'm sorry about it but there's nothing we can do about it. It's only for two months, I'm pretty sure the team can manage without me for that long. It's not like you listen much when I'm around at the moment anywa."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Steve said, a rare tone of anger to voice.

"It means what I said Steve. You made me your partner because you needed someone who was up to date with police procedure but nowadays you don't listen to me when I tell you anything. You just assume that your way is better. You know what I found out today just after the raid? I found out that the McKenna case has fallen through because the DA can't make a case because we didn't serve the warrant correctly so everything we found can't be used now because it was illegally obtained. It would have taken five minutes for us to serve that warrant but now there's criminal back on the street able to start up their drug business again because we screwed up. I told you at the very beginning that all eyes would be on us and that we needed to do everything by the book and you used to listen to me but now you don't. What changed?" She demanded, meeting his eyes. He looked furious though she could detect the look of guilt which filtered across Steve's blue eyes.

"Why didn't you say anything before about it?" Steve said, his hand tightening on her arm.

"Maybe because I was angry at you and worried about what I would say to you. We're partners so you're important to me, I didn't want to yell at you, I figured there must have been some sort of mistake and the DA got it wrong. I was going to check it out before I came to you" She told him, jabbing her finger into his chest before she dropped it

"So you think all of this is my fault somehow? That they got off because of me? You were there at that raid Danni, we were up against a time limit, and if we had waited then they would have been gone before we could do anything" Steve stated.

"Yeah? Well guess what Steve, they are gone now and now we have no idea where they are because they will be in the wind the minute they are released," She said, snatching her arm from his grip, wincing when she felt his nails scrape across her skin. "You know most partners by now would at least have said a sincere congratulations to me because this temporary job is actually a good opportunity for me. It will be good for me and Gracie because it means some extra money coming in for us. You could at least pretend to be happy for me instead of coming down here to my friend's house looking for a fight because something has happened which you can't control."

"That's not what I'm doing Danni" Steve denied taking a step back. "You should have come to me and told me about what the Governor said to you, warned me about the offer instead of letting me be blindsided by it when she told me about it."

"Letting you be blindsided?" Danni repeated. "Did it ever occur to you Steve that the person who was really blindsided by this whole thing was me? I'm the one who has once again had her life turned around of her or have you so quickly forgotten what absolutely hell those six months at HPD were for me because I can promise you that I haven't forgotten it, not even for a moment. Now I'm meant to step back into that bulpen after swearing I never would step into it again and be their boss, the same people who hate me. Do you think they are going to make it easy on me or that they'll accept me with open arms? It will be hell." She told him, letting out a shaky breathe as she took a step back watching the stricken look which came across his face at her words.

"Danni I…" Steve began to say, moving towards her again before another voice spoke over them.

"Danni, is everything okay out here?"

Danni glanced over her shoulder to see the door open revealing Amy in the door way, her eyes flickering between the two of them.

"Everything is fine here Amy" Danni called back before she focused on Steve lowering her voice. "Look I'll be finished here by about nine, if you want to then meet me at my house then and we'll talk some more but now isn't the time until we've both calmed down a bit, the adrenaline from the raid is still pumping and…" Her voice trailed off.

"Nine" He said, shooting the house a look before he looked back at her.

"Nine" She agreed, watching as he turned and walked away, her heart aching in her chest wondering whether they would survive this.

For the first time she was concerned that they wouldn't.

* * *

Author Note

 **Thanks for taking the time to read. An especially big thank you if you have left me a review, favourite the story or decided to follow it.**

 **I really appreciate it**


	4. Chapter Three

Should I stay or should I go now?

By

Landon Richardson

Official Disclaimer

 **The characters of Steve McGarrett, Chin Ho Kelly, Kono Kalakaua and Adam 'Toast' Charles do not belong to me in any shape or form. I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes.**

 **The characters of Danielle 'Danni' Williams, although originally based on male Danny Williams could possibly be considered her own character as by this time all they seem to share with each other is their name and the fact they have a daughter named Grace. I should add that Grace is called Grace Taylor is in this saga, that's due to the fact that Williams is Danni's maiden name which she reverted back to when she and Duncan divorced. Taylor was her married name.**

 **The character of Jack O'Connor, Riley King and David Williams belong to me. Any other character who might pop up who you don't instantly recognise will probably belong to me as well. I'll hopefully catch them in time to put above though.**

Author Note

 **Here's the next chapter for you all.**

 **I'm going to state right now that this story will be one of the most angst ridden stories I will write, maybe to counter the sheer happiness and joy that is Aloha.**

 **Danni is not in a good place at this moment in time though I can promise that unless the characters refuse to play ball that this story will have a happy ending… eventually at least.**

 **It could end up being a long one because there is a lot I want to explore, From Steve and Danni's relationship together to Danni's relationship with the team and perhaps most important Danni's relationship with herself. This story is an AU, it doesn't go with the main saga so it's a standalone one. Maybe more based on the sort of attitude that male Danny received in season six when no one would listen to him and when they finally did it was just to mock him and were generally just cruel to him.**

 **It is strange writing Steve and Danni this way but it will be worth it. I think the more time they spend apart, the more they will grow to appreciate each other and maybe Steve will realise exactly what has been under his nose this whole time!**

 **Anyway please enjoy**

Official Summary

 **Danni Williams has come to a crossroad in her life, especially her working life at 50. Now there's only one question which she has to answer… Should she stay or should she go? (McDanni, female Danny, part of the Danni universe)**

Chapter Summary

 **By the time Danni reached her home after her meal with Meka, Amy and their small son Billy, she was exhausted, barely able to find the energy to turn the key in the ignition to turn her engine off.**

Official Romances for the story

 **Steve McGarrett / Danielle 'Danni' Williams (McDanni)**

 **Kono Kalakaua / Charlie Fong**

 **Riley King / Rosie Lange**

Romances mentioned during the chapter

 **Pre Steve McGarrett / Danielle 'Danni' Williams (McDanni)**

 **Meka Hanamoa / Amy Hanamoa**

Other note

 **Please keep in mind that I don't have a Beta for this story so the odd mistake may creep in without me meaning it to. I have also never been to Hawaii so all locations are either from the show, google or made up in my own mind.**

* * *

Chapter Three

* * *

By the time Danni reached her home after her meal with Meka, Amy and their small son Billy, she was exhausted, barely able to find the energy to turn the key in the ignition to turn her engine off. Everything that day, from the early morning raid which had lasted well into the afternoon, to her meeting with the Governor, had been too much for her mind to deal with making her long to just go into her home, head straight to her bed and just hide beneath the covers until the next day.

That of course was just a distant hope since Danni had already spotted the familiar blue Silverado parked on the kerb outside her home. It was little surprise to her that Steve was already here or that he was already in her house waiting for her. He had probably driven here the moment she had entered Amy's and Meka's house, using his spare key to let himself in and making himself comfortable, just like he had done dozen of times before.

Danni breathed out slowly, forcing her hands to loosen their tight grip on the steering wheel and dropping them into her lap. There was little point in putting this conversation off, Steve wouldn't leave until they had spoken so it would be better to simply get it over and done with it, then she could finally go to bed and try and sort her whirling thoughts out.

Her mind made up, Danni turned and picked up her bag from the passenger seat, opening her door up and climbed out, stepping back and closing the door behind her before she locked it. She had no doubt that Steve had heard the sound of the car from inside but she ignored it, moving up her garden path and opened the door with her key, stepping into her hallway and dropping her keys into the little tray on the small hall table. Danni pushed the door closed behind her, picking up the letters on the side which Steve must have picked up for her. There were a couple of bills and a postcard from her brother Elijah who had clearly decided to take a vacation to Europe. Shaking her head, Danni placed them back on the table, slipping her shoes off and headed to her bedroom, dropping her bag in the room before she turned and headed towards the kitchen, her eyes landing on Steve.

He stood by the coffee machine, staring down at it before he picked up one of the mugs and held it out to her with a look which almost looked sheepish.

"Peace offering" He said quietly, meeting her eyes. She searched his for a moment, dropping her gaze to the mug before she reached out and took it from him.

"Thank you" She said quietly, bringing her hand up and wrapping it around the mug, enjoying the feeling on warmth against her palm before she spoke. "How long have you been here for?" She queried.

"I came straight here" He admitted, "I made myself something to eat but I cleaned up after myself" he told her, waving his hand behind her. Danni nodded tiredly before she sighed.

"Let's get this over and done with, we'll go to the living room" Danni remarked, turning and heading towards her living room, not looking over her shoulder to see if he was following her. She already knew he was. Danni sank into her favourite chair, bringing her legs up and curling them beneath her before she blew at the surface of her drink.

She was surprised when Steve remained silent once he was settled on the sofa. She had expected him to speak but now she was unsure whether he was waiting for her to speak instead. If he was then he would be waiting a while because she felt out of words.

"Danni" Steve said finally, sitting forward and placing his own drink on the table before he looked back at her. "About what I said early, maybe I shouldn't have reacted the way I reacted. I know from experience that the Governor is the sort of person who gets her own way. If she had decided that you were the best person for the job then there would be nothing which you could say that would change her mind. It is a good opportunity for you even though we'll suffer without you and your connections." He said.

Danni nodded slowly, opening her mouth to reassure him though no words came out.

She was simply too tired to try and comfort him. Steve didn't seemed to notice as he continued to speak, a thoughtful frown coming to his face.

"The question is what the Governor is up to? Why did she pick you when she knows your position on the team? She must have some sort of game she's playing? Maybe it's a test of some kind?"

Danni blinked, bringing her eyes up to look at him, a small flicker of rage breaking through her tiredness for a moment.

"Because she must have a plan right?" Danni asked quietly. "It couldn't be something as simple as she genuinely believes that I'm the best person for the job or that I may deserve the job? No the only reason why she would pick me is because she is trying to fuck with 50?"

"I'm not saying that you don't deserve the job Danni I'm just saying that she had the pick of anyone she wants for the job, she's already picked someone for it but instead of picking someone else for the job she picks my second in command. I just think there is something going on that we don't know about. We need to figure out what it is though Danni. If she's trying to mess with our team Danni then we've got to do everything which we can to discover what it is"

Danni stared at him for a moment, the rage dying away, her heart aching in her chest that her own partner thought that the only reason she got the job was because the Governor was messing with his team. It just went to show that he didn't value her like he used to. Now she was merely one of his pawns to move around.

"Of course Steve" She said quietly, there must have been something in her voice because Steve shot her a sharp look. "I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"We Danni" Steve corrected, sounding almost concerned. "We'll figure it out."

"Okay" She said, placing her coffee down untouched. "I've got some things which I need to do Steve, could we call it a night and talk later on in the week?" She queried, as she pushed herself to her feet, ignoring Steve's startled look at her.

"Yeah sure, if that's what you want." Steve said, standing up, his gaze fixed on her face. "Danni is everything okay? I said I was sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have come to Amy's house because I was pissed off with what the Governor had told me. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about what happened" Danni remarked, wrapping her arms around herself. Steve nodded slowly.

"Do you fancy going for dinner tomorrow night? It's been a while since we've done something just the two of us." He offered.

Danni felt a sad smile come to her face before she shook her head.

"I would Steve but I have some things I need to do tomorrow, I'll call you okay and let you know when I'm free to go out. I'm sure one of the others will be around to hang out with you." She said, forcing a smile on her face before she moved passed him, heading down the hallway and came to a stop by the front door.

"I'd rather hang out with you" Steve said as he came to a stop by her and pulled on his walking boots.

"I'm sorry, I will call you, I promise, we'll talk more tomorrow and maybe we can go for dinner together next week." She offered. Steve nodded with a frown, reaching out and wrapping his hand around her forearm.

"Are you sure you're okay Danni, you seem off?" He asked her.

"I'm just very tired, I'll be okay after a good night sleep" She said, going up on tiptoes and kissing him on the cheek before she lowered herself back down. Steve shot her a startled look, clearly surprised by her kissing him on the cheek when she had never done it before though he quickly recovered.

"We'll speak tomorrow" He told her firmly, giving her another searching look as he stepped out of her house and looked over his shoulder at her. "See you soon Danno" He said, the familiar nickname making her heart ache as she nodded at him, smiling shakily at him.

For a moment she thought he was going to say something else but instead he turned and headed to his truck. Danni watched him, bringing her hand up and waving when he reversed into the road before she dropped it and slowly closed the door, staring at it for a moment before she swallowed hard and spoke.

"Goodbye Steve"

* * *

Author Note

 **Thanks for taking the time to read. An especially big thank you if you have left me a review, favourite the story or decided to follow it.**

 **I really appreciate it**


	5. Chapter Four

Should I stay or should I go now?

By

Landon Richardson

Official Disclaimer

 **The characters of Steve McGarrett, Chin Ho Kelly, Kono Kalakaua and Adam 'Toast' Charles do not belong to me in any shape or form. I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes.**

 **The characters of Danielle 'Danni' Williams, although originally based on male Danny Williams could possibly be considered her own character as by this time all they seem to share with each other is their name and the fact they have a daughter named Grace. I should add that Grace is called Grace Taylor is in this saga, that's due to the fact that Williams is Danni's maiden name which she reverted back to when she and Duncan divorced. Taylor was her married name.**

 **The character of Jack O'Connor, Riley King and David Williams belong to me. Any other character who might pop up who you don't instantly recognise will probably belong to me as well. I'll hopefully catch them in time to put above though.**

Author Note

 **Here's the next chapter for you all.**

 **So this story will be long I think and will highlight Steve and Danni mending their broken relationship with each other because there is no doubt about it that something isn't right between the two of them at the moment. That means that there will be plenty of angst in it because I doubt it will be simple but there will also be some happy moments in there as well.**

 **It will mainly be done in Danni's and Steve's point of view and will often jump in time. For example this is set two weeks after the previous chapter…**

 **Anyway please enjoy**

Official Summary

 **Danni Williams has come to a crossroad in her life, especially her working life at 50. Now there's only one question which she has to answer… Should she stay or should she go? (McDanni, female Danny, part of the Danni universe)**

Chapter Summary

 **"** **So how are you actually finding it being back here in this bulpen? You haven't really said anything about it yet and I've got to admit the suspense is killing me so spill Danni, tell Uncle Meka everything."**

Official Romances for the story

 **Steve McGarrett / Danielle 'Danni' Williams (McDanni)**

 **Kono Kalakaua / Charlie Fong**

 **Riley King / Rosie Lange**

Romances mentioned during the chapter

 **Hints of Steve McGarrett / Danielle 'Danni' Williams (McDanni)**

Other note

 **Please keep in mind that I don't have a Beta for this story so the odd mistake may creep in without me meaning it to. I have also never been to Hawaii so all locations are either from the show, google or made up in my own mind.**

* * *

Chapter Four

* * *

"So how are you actually finding it being back here in this bulpen? You haven't really said anything about it yet and I've got to admit the suspense is killing me so spill Danni, tell Uncle Meka everything."

Danni glanced up from reading Detective Montague's report, a smile coming to her face when she saw Meka leaning against the side of the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest as he clearly waited for her to say something.

"Uncle Meka? I mean I know you're older than me but I didn't realise you were that much older" Danni commented with a grin ignoring the way he rolled his eyes at her comment. "You might as well come in and close the door behind you, no point allowing anyone else to hear our conversation after all." She instructed, waving her hand towards one of the chairs opposite her desk when he turned back to her. "Park yourself down in one of them."

Meka crossed the room, dropping down into the chair, his long legs stretched out in front of him and crossed at the ankles as he focused his attention on her, raising one eyebrow in a way which told her that he was still waiting for an answer to his question.

"It's not as bad as I thought it would be but then again I've only been here for two weeks so far." Danni admitted, dropping her pen onto the file as she leaned back into her own chair, thankful to take a breather from the work which seemed never ending. She had found herself with a new found respect for Captain Hookano who had somehow always made it seem as though he was doing no work, either he was one hell of a worker which she doubted or he had a secret technique to getting it done which he hadn't bothered to share with her. Knowing the man like she did, she was pretty positive that the second option was probably the correct one.

"It feels longer than two weeks somehow, it feels more like you've always been sitting in that seat." Meka pointed out thoughtfully, the comment causing Danni to nod.

The other members of 50 had come round separately over the course of that weekend two weeks ago, congratulating her on the promotion while bemoaning their own bad luck that they were losing her for two months. She had merely laughed at the comments, sympathising with them while a steady feeling of dread had come over her to the closer to Monday that she had got.

She knew why she felt that way, her last experience in the bulpen had been hideous, and yet when she had walked in Monday with the head of HPD there had been nothing, it was as though they didn't realise that she was the same person who they had tormented for six months straight. This time they listened to her, obeying her instructions without so much of a grumble. It had startled her, leaving her feeling suspicious that they were up to something but the days had passed and still nothing had occurred.

Either they were trying to lure her into a false sense of security or they had really changed and had simply accepted her as their new Captain. She just wasn't sure which version was right but she was determined not to let her guard down for a moment.

"I know what you mean" She said, looking at her former partner. If one good thing had come out of this whole mess it was the fact that she was able to spend more time with the man opposite her.

"How is 50 doing? I hear they have a big drug case on the go at the moment?" Meka asked her, a curious glint in his black eyes. She nodded.

"That's what I heard" She said, thinking back to the conversations which she had had with her team mates over the past week, she had many a call from all of them, asking for her opinion on the case or just needing to talk to someone about the way Steve was acting.

She sighed, shaking her head.

Steve.

That was an issue which she had no idea how to approach. She hadn't seen him for two weeks and had found herself missing him terribly. It felt like a limb was missing but clearly he hadn't felt the same way since Toast had let slip that Catherine Rollins, Steve's on and off again relationship, had arrived in the office on the first Friday Danni had been gone and had disappeared with Steve. Danni had been surprised by how much the knowledge had hurt her though she made sure not to let anything on to Toast, merely changing the subject as quickly as she could without it being obvious.

"Hey you all right? You looked down for a moment" Meka said, sounding concerned as he sat up straight and look at her.

"It's nothing, just thinking about 50 and how Steve is doing that's all." Danni responded with a shake of her head, she opened her mouth to say more when the door was flung open revealing the man in question. She blinked at him, her mouth falling open slightly in shock at the state of him. He appeared agitated though she doubted anyone else who wasn't fluent in McGarrett would realise that. His cheek was bruised as well as though he had been in a fight recently. "Erm Meka, can we talk later on please?" She asked Meka who nodded at her, getting to his feet.

"Yeah course Danni, I'll let the others know that you're not available for the next hour or so as well" Meka responded, glancing towards Steve before he left the room, closing the door behind him. Danni immediately came to her feet, moving round the office and heading straight for Steve, she reached out, wrapping her hand round his wrist and used the hold to tug him over to the sofa, pushing him down onto it before she turned and headed to her coffee pot, grabbing her spare mug and poured some into it, passing it over to Steve.

"Drink that" She commanded as she moved round the office, closing the blinds so any curious eyes from outside would be unable to see anything. No doubt it would fuel the rumour about her and Steve being a couple but right at that moment in time she didn't care. Danni breathed out as she headed back to him, lowering herself into the space next to him and spoke, her voice quiet. "What happened?" She asked.

Steve shrugged, sipping the coffee for a moment before he spoke.

"Nothing, Jack and I haven't quite figured out how the other works yet so he went one way while I went the other and we collided. It was a stupid mistake to make." Steve said his hands tightening on the mug.

"Is Jack okay?" She asked him, making a mental note to call the blond that evening to hear exactly what happened. Steve had a tendency of downplayed things especially if he knew that he was in the wrong.

"He's fine Danni, he doesn't have a scratch on him" Steve answered with a wave of his hand as though he was brushing her concern away.

"Is to do with the drug case you're working on? The others have been keeping me in the loop" She explained when she caught sight of his questioning look.

"Yeah, we're not making much headway on it, turns out that we're all specialists in all areas bar drugs." He told her, the comment making Danni nod.

"We always knew that, that was why we were talking about headhunting someone from the DEA so we would have that area covered. Maybe it's time for you to revisit that and see if there is anyone who you think could fit into 50 and tempt them over." She suggested, leaning back against the sofa.

"I'm not making that decision without you" He responded instantly, twisting his body round so he could face her and see her expressions.

"Then bring the potential files here, I'll give you my opinion on them and then if you still want my help then we can interview them here." She told him, her mouth curling into a small smile when he nodded at her. "You know just because I'm here it doesn't meant that I don't still considered 50 my team, I know we've had our ups and downs recently but if you or one of the others need my help or my opinion on the case or anything else then my door is always open. It's never been closed."

Steve breathed out, dropping his eyes for a moment before he looked back at her.

"I need you back" He told her, the admission surprising her.

"What?" She asked him, trying to buy some time.

"It's not the same without you there, you're my second in command Danni and my partner. I need you by my side, not on the other side of town"

"You don't need me by your side, you want me by your side, there's a huge difference Steve. You and I by the end were barely functioning as partners. You didn't listen to what I said to you even when nine times out of ten I was proven right. We need to fix this problem between us before I can come back otherwise we'll end up in the same situation as before. Do you know how close I was to resigning? I was close enough that I found myself at the Governor's buildings figuring out whether I could go through with it. That's how close I was Steve." She admitted, watching the look of shock that came over his face.

"You were going to leave me?" He asked her, his voice coming out weakly.

"Not leave you in the sense that you wouldn't be in my life. You're always going to be in my life Steve but… but I wasn't sure I could still be your partner when you refuse to listen to me. I'm still not sure whether we actually work anymore. That's why this break is a good thing, it gives us a chance to mend us without having it affect the team."

"You not being there is already affecting the team." He countered.

"But you're still functioning without me, cases are being closed which is a good thing. It's good that you can still work efficiently without me being there. I am coming back Steve but we do need to sort out this problem between us before I can." She stated softly, reaching out and resting her hand on his arm.

"What problem though Danni? What is the problem?" He demanded harshly, his hand coming out and covering her own, the palm heated from where it had been wrapped around the mug he was still holding.

"I don't know Steve, I wish I did know what it was but I don't. We're going to have to figure it out together and fix it together but only if you want to. If you don't want me as your partner any more than now is the time to tell me."

Steve shot her a look as though she was mad.

"There is no one else I want as a partner. If you're not there then I'll go solo." He said matter of factly.

"No" She said firmly, using her free hand to jab a finger into his chest. "You do not under any circumstances go solo Steven Jack McGarrett. Promise me that you will always bring one of the others with you when you go and run down leads. If they are all busy and you have no one than you call me and I'll come to you and be your back up. You can't go solo with your bad luck. I don't want to spend my evenings in a hospital visiting you because you wouldn't listen to reason so promise me." She demanded, poking him again.

"I promise" Steve said after a moment, the tension which has been in his shoulders melting away. "I should go, Chin and Kono were out running a lead so they should be back by the time I get to the office" He told her, placing the mug on the coffee table and stood up. Danni stood up with him. "How about you and Gracie come round mine tonight and we have a meal together, you both haven't been round for a while and I miss the pair of you, it will give us time to talk properly as well."

Danni hesitated for a moment before she nodded.

"Okay then, what time?"

"Seven" he replied promptly. "If anything changes then I'll call you" He promised.

For a moment he stood looking at her before he turned and headed towards the door, pulling it open and exiting out of it without a backward glance leaving Danni alone in her office, wondering whether this was a good idea or whether she was merely setting herself up for more heartache.

* * *

Author Note

 **Thanks for taking the time to read. An especially big thank you if you have left me a review, favourite the story or decided to follow it.**

 **I really appreciate it**


	6. Chapter Five

Should I stay or should I go now

By

Landon Richardson

Official Disclaimer

 **The characters of Steve McGarrett, Chin Ho Kelly, Kono Kalakaua and Adam 'Toast' Charles do not belong to me in any shape or form. I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes.**

 **The characters of Danielle 'Danni' Williams, although originally based on male Danny Williams could possibly be considered her own character as by this time all they seem to share with each other is their name and the fact they have a daughter named Grace. I should add that Grace is called Grace Taylor is in this saga, that's due to the fact that Williams is Danni's maiden name which she reverted back to when she and Duncan divorced. Taylor was her married name.**

 **The character of Jack O'Connor, Riley King and David Williams belong to me. Any other character who might pop up who you don't instantly recognise will probably belong to me as well. I'll hopefully catch them in time to put above though.**

Author Note

 **Here's the next chapter for you all.**

 **Sorry for the slight delay in getting this chapter out to you all. I was taking a small break from writing mainly to give my muse a chance to rest and reboot. Luckily the tactic seems to have worked out so you can expect some updates.**

 **I'm off work sick today so you may even get lucky and get multiple updates today, we're going to have to see how it works out.**

 **This story is an angst story so there won't be any quick fix mainly because I don't know yet whether the damage in Danni's and Steve's relationship can be mended. I'll only know when the characters let me know… I do however have plenty of other fluffy stories out if you need to bathe yourself in some fluff after this lol.**

 **Can I also say just for the record just how much I love Danni's and Grace's mother and daughter relationship? It has to be one of my favourite things to write to the point that I'm toying with the idea of writing a new set of snippets based on Grace and Danni's relationship.**

 **Anyway please enjoy this chapter!**

Official Summary

 **Danni Williams has come to a crossroad in her life, especially her working life at 50. Now there's only one question which she has to answer… Should she stay or should she go? (McDanni, female Danny, part of the Danni universe)**

Chapter Summary

 **Danni breathed out slowly as she pulled her car into Steve's road, her sense of impending doom growing with every mile that brought her closer to Steve's house.**

Official Romances for the story

 **Steve McGarrett / Danielle 'Danni' Williams (McDanni)**

 **Kono Kalakaua / Charlie Fong**

 **Riley King / Rosie Lange**

Romances mentioned during the chapter

 **Hints of Steve McGarrett / Danielle 'Danni' Williams (McDanni)**

Other note

 **Please keep in mind that I don't have a Beta for this story so the odd mistake may creep in without me meaning it to. I have also never been to Hawaii so all locations are either from the show, google or made up in my own mind.**

* * *

Chapter Five

* * *

Danni breathed out slowly as she pulled her car into Steve's road, her sense of impending doom growing with every mile that brought her closer to Steve's house. She didn't understand what was wrong with her, she knew her feelings for the other man so spending the evening with him should have made her happy, instead of leaving her fearful.

What did he want to talk about?

Did they have anything to talk about?

She knew that he was aware that she considered there to be an issue between them but it was clearly a feeling which he didn't share from what she could tell. He said he needed her but that was as a work partner, he had said nothing about needing her in his life as anything more.

Danni wasn't sure whether she could handle only being Steve's work partner. It would be better to nip this in the bud now and perhaps speak to the Governor about whether the job she had could become a permanent one. Perhaps it would be the only way that Steve would learn?

"Are you okay Mamma?"

Danni started, turning to the passenger seat to see Grace watching her with a concerned expression on her face, her teeth nibbling at her lower lip.

"I'm fine baby, I'm just a bit tired that's all" She told the younger girl, a smile coming to her face when Grace gave her a knowing nod.

"Is it because you miss Uncle Steve and the others? Is that why we haven't seen much of them recently?" She asked, the innocent comment making Danni's stomach twist in guilt. She hadn't realised that they hadn't seen the others enough that Grace had recognised it and was being affected by it.

"I do miss them but we are seeing Uncle Steve tonight and I'll call the others tomorrow and see whether they are around soon, maybe we could have a BBQ round ours this weekend and invite them all."

"Ooooo" Grace said excitedly, her face brightening. "Can Poppy and Bella come as well?" She demanded, speaking about Jack's two young girls.

"Of course and we'll invite Auntie Amy and Uncle Meka as well"

"And Uncle Ryan" Grace added, the comment making Danni nod.

"And Uncle Ryan" She confirmed, pulling the car to the kerb outside Steve's house and killing the engine. She glanced through the window at it, breathing in deeply before she smiled at Grace. "Let's go and see what Uncle Steve has made us, if we're lucky than it may even be edible" She said, winking at Grace, her smile becoming steadier when Grace laughed happily at the comment.

They exited the car. Danni locking the car and taking Grace's hand when the small girl came to her side. She squeezed it as they headed up the garden path stopping outside the front door. Danni had just about enough time to take a breather and raise her hand before the door was opened revealing a grinning Steve.

"Danni, Gracie you're here" He said happily, his blue gaze moving over him.

"That we are" Danni commented, letting go of Grace's hand so her daughter could give Steve a hug.

"Hi Uncle Steve" She said, slipping her shoes off before she skipped over to the comfortable sofa and threw herself on it, looking at them both with a grin. "Can I pick a movie to watch please? I promise I'll pick a good one" She said, cheering when Steve nodded at her.

"You know where they are" He told her before he turned his attention to Danni as she spoke, slipping her own shoes off.

"Sorry, she's been excited about coming over since I told her, it apparently its managed to throw the manners I spent the last eight years teaching her out of her brain." She remarked ruefully, looking up at him. "Thanks for having us around."

"Danni you and Grace can come round any time, you know that" He told her seriously, moving so he was at her side. She blinked when he placed his hand on her lower back and propelled her forward, through the living room and the study and towards the kitchen. Danni glanced around her.

"Are you cooking?" She asked him curiously, raising a surprised eyebrow when Steve shook his head at her, opening a bottle of red wine and pouring it into a wine glass which he had out on the counter. He picked it up and held it out to her.

"Figured you could use this" He told her. Danni looked down at it, hesitantly taking it from him.

"I've still got to drive Grace and I home later one Steve" She reminded, frowning slightly when he waves his hand out as though he was waving her comment to the side.

"The two of you can sleep over. I've got both my old room and Mary's old room ready" He stated, sticking his hand in the pocket of his cargo pants.

Danni opened her mouth to answer when she stopped and instead merely shook her head, sipping at the wine. She made a pleased humming sound at the back of her throat at the rich taste before she placed it on the kitchen table, looking towards him, unsurprised to see him watching her from where he was leaning against the counter top.

"What are we eating then if you aren't cooking for us?" She asked, ignoring his previous comment.

"Takeaway" He answered with a careless shrug. "I've already ordered and don't worry Danni, I've ordered from Grace's favourite place and got her the same thing she always get from there and I told them that there is to be no pineapples anywhere near her food"

Danni blinked at him before her mouth curled up into a smile.

"I hope you didn't put the fear of God into them" She remarked, her smile fading slightly when she saw Steve staring at her intently. "Is something wrong?" She asked him when he remained silent.

"Nothing" He said with a shake of his head. "It's just… I just realised that I can't remember the last time that I saw you smile like that. I've missed seeing it" He admitted, looking away from her and staring out of the window. Danni watched him for a moment before she spoke softly.

"Yeah well I haven't felt like I've had a lot to smile about recently Steve."

He looked back at her, his eyes narrowing in thought, opening his mouth to answer her when another voice cut in.

"Mamma, can we start watching the movie now?" Grace stated as she came into the kitchen, her eyes moving between them before she headed straight over to Danni, slipping her hand through hers and holding on tightly. "Could I also have a drink please Steve?" She added politely.

Steve looked down at Grace, a startled look on his face before he straightened and nodded.

"Of course you can Gracie, what would you like? I've got all the usual drinks" He stated brightly. Grace considered his question carefully before she spoke.

"Do you have Cranberry juice?" She asked, her face breaking out into a grin when Steve nodded at her.

"I made sure I got some on my way home for you" He told Grace, turning from them and opening one of the cupboard pulling out a bright blue plastic cup.

"Come on Mamma, we've got a movie to watch" Grace said, attracting Danni's attention to her. She made a huffing sound when Grace began pulling her towards the living room, leaving Steve behind in the kitchen.

"Okay, okay Grace I get it you want to watch the movie" Danni said with a shake of her head as she sat on the sofa, smiling when Grace immediately took the seat next to her and cuddled up closely to her. Danni reached out and grabbed the remote controller and pressed play. "Beauty and the Beast again Gracie?" Danni teased as the familiar beginning began playing.

"I like it Mamma and besides it's one of the only Disney films Steve has, the next time we come we should bring a selection from home." Grace instructed, smiling at Steve as he came in holding their drinks which he placed on the table, his eyes flickering to the screen.

Danni couldn't help the smile which came to her face at the expression Steve pulled when he saw what movie Grace had picked but she ignored it, focusing her attention on the screen and Grace's chatter as she told them exactly what she liked about the movie. Danni's eyes flickered to the side when Steve sat on the other side of her, his arm automatically draping round her shoulders as he pulled her in against him, the same as he always did when they watched a movie together.

She swallowed hard at the familiar feel of him against her, noticing not for the first time just how good he smelt.

She sighed as she tightened her grip on Grace.

This was going to be a long night.

* * *

Author Note

 **Thanks for taking the time to read. An especially big thank you if you have left me a review, favourite the story or decided to follow it.**

 **I really appreciate it**

 **LR xxx**


End file.
